Chinese tourist falls off a cliff while posing for a photo on Indonesian volcano

A Chinese woman who wanted to pose for a photo on an Indonesian volcano known for its stunning “blue fire” phenomenon died on April 20 after stepping on her clothing and falling off a cliff.

Mrs Huang Lihong, 31, and her husband Zhang Yong, 32, were on a tour to Ijen – a volcano tourism park in East Java province – when the couple climbed to the edge of the crater to watch the sunrise, Hongxing News reported .

Their guide said he warned the couple about the dangers on the crater.

Initially, Ms. Huang kept a safe distance of two to three meters from the edge of the cliff as she posed for photos, the guide said.

Then she started moving backwards to get closer to a tree with bare, scattered branches to capture a more beautiful background.

But while walking backwards, she accidentally stepped on her long clothes and fell off the cliff. It was not clear whether she was wearing a dress or a skirt.

Local police said the victim fell from a height of 75 meters on April 21 and died from the impact of her fall. They classified her death as an accident.

The Ijen is known for its ‘blue fire’, which is essentially blue light emitted from the combustion of sulphurous gases.

The crater, known as Kawah Ijen, which means lonely crater, is a popular spot for tourists and miners, who dig up hardening yellow sulfur to sell for use in everything from cosmetics to matchsticks.

The volcano regularly emits small amounts of harmful gases, but the site remains open to the public.

Indonesia is home to approximately 130 active volcanoes. Millions of Indonesians live and work near volcanoes, largely because of the fertile agricultural land.

In February, a 53-year-old Polish tourist was found dead on a climbing route while hiking to Kawah Ijen.

In September 2015, a 68-year-old Swiss man climbing Mount Ijen collapsed and died en route to the crater after complaining of breathing difficulties.